The bishop of the diocese which includes St. Augustine, which advertises itself as the first city settled by Europeans in the U.S. and the birthplace of North American Christianity, has already sent a letter to Rome to request that the pope acknowlege the city's anniversary during his trip to the U.S. in September of next year.

Ideally, that acknowledgement would come in the form of a visit to the small northeastern Florida city.

The mayor expects to present the idea to the city commission today, according to the First Coast News report.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, established in 1565, is called America's first Roman Catholic parish.